Happy New Year!

Where are you headed this coming year? What are your goals and your dreams? Let's all go out and make 2011 a great year!  William Arthur Ward quotes (American dedicated scholar, author, editor, pastor and teacher)

“Another fresh new year is here . . .


Another year to live!


To banish worry, doubt, and fear,


To love and laugh and give!






This bright new year is given me


To live each day with zest . . .


To daily grow and try to be


My highest and my best!






I have the opportunity


Once more to right some wrongs,


To pray for peace, to plant a tree,


And sing more joyful songs!”

Starting Fresh in 2011. Happy New Year!

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.



Edith Lovejoy Pierce
 
Only a couple days remain in 2010.  Did you reach your goals for the year?  Have you determined your goals for 2011?
 
As of Saturday, 1/1/11, we can start fresh!  Whatever mistakes you made are in the past.  You can realease any bad memories you have.  If you didn't achieve everything you'd hoped to this year, you have a whole new year to work with!
 
You can do it!  I know you can, but YOU must know you can.  Approach 2011 with a positive attitude and a new determination.  This time next year, you'll be cheering about all your successes.

New Year - a Time for New Opportunities - the Sunrise of 2011

I have the opportunity

Once more to right some wrongs,

To pray for peace, to plant a tree,

And sing more joyful songs!" 

William Arthur Ward



Happy New Year!

A happy New Year! Grant that I

May bring no tear to any eye

When this New Year in time shall end

Let it be said I've played the friend,

Have lived and loved and labored here,

And made of it a happy year. 

Edgar Guest

Hectic, Chaotic, Exhausting Holidays

As we struggle with shopping lists and invitations, compounded by December's bad weather, it is good to be reminded that there are people in our lives who are worth this aggravation, and people to whom we are worth the same.   --  Donald E. Westla

Adversity vs Prosperity

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.  Anne Bradstreet

I really like this quote.  So often, we forget to be grateful for what we have in our lives.  We may take those we love for granted.  For the majority of Americans, we simply know we will have food to eat and water to drink.  We know we will always know we'll have the basics that life has to offer.

At this time of year in particular, it is good to really notice the wonder in life and appreciate what we have. 

The economic situation has effected nearly everyone, and perhaps your home business has seen a decline.  Many, if not most, have.  Using the theme of the quote above, let us remember how great our business was and will be again.  We are fortunate to still have a business, and simply retain optimism.  In the not-too-distant future, you shall all once again see your business growing.   It will happen, but you cannot quit!

Work vs Holidays

When you like your work every day is a holiday.  Frank Tyger

Before I hired my current "boss," I dreaded going to work many days.   My new boss?  Me, of course!  I have a career at home with my small business.  

I actually am quite a demanding boss.  The difference between what I'm doing today and working an outside j-o-b is huge!  If I want to work long hours, I do.  Most days that is exactly what I do.  But if I need a day off or an afternoon off, I don't need to ask anyone for permission.

We've all heard that if you have a job that you love, you'll never work another day in your life.  Which brings me back to the quote above.   

If your home business is not making you happy, seek another one!  You can add another business to what you're already doing.  Work it until you can stop doing the one you dislike.  But, do your homework!  Select a home business where you believe in and truly like the business or service they offer.

So, as we are in the middle of the holiday season, your work does not have to make you joyful every minute of the day, but if you like what you're doing, "every day is a holiday."  Take advantage of it! 

Thomas Edison, Failure

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”  Thomas Edison, Inventor, Scientist and Businessman

Supposedly Thomas Edison failed to perfect the incandescent light bulb 2,000 times.  I don't know if that is actually true or not, but I've enough read similar stories about him to believe he definitely failed many times before each of his inventions actually worked properly.

When learning something new, we all make mistakes.  And sometimes we feel as though we failed, but in reality it is part of the learning process.  We grow when we do something wrong.  We know not to do "it" that way again.   When you try a new method of working your business - perhaps a new way to present your product - if you get poor responses to that new presentation, you know not to repeat that method again.  Perhaps the method failed, but you did not.  

If you we never take risks, try something new, you will never discover what really works best for you.  Your business may go along supporting itself, but never quite "taking off."  Because a co-worker is successful with a certain manner of selling your product doesn't guarantee it will work for you.

So, go out there, discover what does works for you.  What's the worst thing that can happen?